Only the Cat Knows

by Marian Babson

A man infiltrates a tycoon’s castle to find out who pushed his sister down a flight of stairs in this “enjoyable Gothic mystery that keeps you guessing” (Kirkus Reviews).   Vance is an experienced female impersonator, so when his beloved twin sister, Vanessa, winds up in a coma after a suspicious fall, he has a unique way to investigate. Using her clothes and makeup—and his striking resemblance to his twin—he works his way into the remote castle of Vanessa’s wealthy employer, along with a harem of other women. With help from a doctor, Vance poses as an amnesiac Vanessa and is able to fool everyone—with the exception of his sister’s Angora cat. But will his masquerade be successful long enough for him to solve the mystery—before someone else tries to finish the job?   “Diverting . . . will keep readers’ attention.” —Publishers Weekly   “Marian Babson’s name on a mystery is a guarantee of quality writing wrapped around an unusual crime.” —Houston Chronicle

Genres: Mystery, Cats, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy

214 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Marian Babson, a pseudonym for Ruth Stenstreem, was born in Salem, Massachusetts, but lived in London for the greater part of her life.

She worked as a librarian; managed a campaign headquarters; was a receptionist, secretary, and den mother to a firm of commercial artists; and was co-editor of a machine knitting magazine, despite the fact that she can’t knit, even with two needles.

A long sojourn as a temp sent her into the heart of business life all over London, working for architects, law firms, the British Museum, a Soho club, and even a visiting superstar.

She also served as secretary to the Crime Writers’ Association. She became a full-time writer whose many interests included theatre, cinema, art, cooking, travel, and, of course, cats, which feature in many of her mystery books. Her first published work was 'Cover-Up Story' in 1971 and 'Only the Cat' (2007) was her 44th novel.

The publisher's tagline for her style is "Murder Most British," a style reflected in each of her novels. Any violence is not graphically described and the sleuths are usually amateurs.

She re-used certain characters, such as the publicity firm Perkins & Tate, and a couple of ageing actresses, her books all stand-alone and can be read in any order.

Gerry Wolstenholme
September 2010

Reviews

[Olenka Owens · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting moments, overall kind of far-fetched.

The cat is amazing.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vanessa apparently falls from a turret and has significant injuries. Her brother Vance, also her twin rushes to her side to discover no one knows how she fell and no investigation has been done. So, being the world’s finest female impersonator he takes her place at the compound of the conglomerate she works for. A very interesting tale.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a first time read of Marian Babson for me. I chose the book for our first Cozy Mystery Theme Read because of the cat on the cover. This was a stand-alone mystery not a part of a series which may be why I didn't like it better. The story line was that a woman fell and is in a coma close to death. Her twin decides to take her place and see if he can find out what happened to her. From what information you are given he must be a female impersonator as his career. The sister lives and works in some kind of a compound. The details are very sketchy and it almost sounds like they are prisoners there as several times Vance portraying Vanessa is locked in his room. The whole story moves rather slowly as Vance is pretending to have amnesia because he doesn't really know any of the people that his sister works with. As I said, it was okay but not really something that I will remember or want to reread in the future.

[Delonna · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was definitely the worst mystery I've ever read. The setting was a mystery. I read the book cover to cover and I'm not even sure where the story takes place. Maybe England? There's an "organization" that serves as the premise for the characters. Having completed the book, I can't even say what that organization is, it's purpose, or even it's name. It was just a weird mystery. I had the "who-done-it" question answered, but still other questions remained unanswered. I'm so mad at myself for even wasting my time on this crap.

[Janice Bridger · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this in a collection of books featuring cats at the library! It turns out the author has written lots of crime and cat books- I probably won’t read any more though! The best characterisation in the whole story was that of the cat Gloriana! Her love of human food and her vocal communication skills! The humans were cardboard cyphers of people with only 1 feature of personality each eg the angry one, the jealous one etc. Still the cat and the strange twin plot kept me reading but it didn’t really make much sense even at the end!

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't read this. It's a dreadful "murder" "mystery". I read it purely because my mother had it out from the library and I had nothing to read over lunch one day. Umm, the main character's sister works for a weird organisation, and gets attacked, and her brother (who is coyly referred to by Babson as a "female impersonator") goes undercover, as her, to work out what happened. Cue set pieces and horribly one-dimensional characters and a very swift, entirely unbelievable, ending.

[Vallery Feldman · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of Marion Babson's cat mysteries. This time a twin goes undercover to find out why someone wanted to kill his sister. (she survives) and so does the cat. Fun read, although not one of Babson's best.

[Dyana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my second Marian Babson book, and they both have very quirky characters and unique plots. That being said, the characters in this book were kind of one-dimensional, and the plot was underdeveloped. Some of the details are sketchy - for example, the story takes place in Friary Keep. Reading between the lines, it seems to be somewhere near London. A nebulous dwelling owned by one of the richest and reclusive men in the world is named Mr. Everett Oversall and who also founded Oversall Enterprises. What the company does is never really explained or why the motley collection of people who live in his medieval manor/Tudor town house/Elizabethan manor/Victorian fake/complete with Gothic towers and cloisters plus more, are doing there in the first place! I wish there had been a picture so I could visualize this "architectural historian's nightmare. Behind the pseudo-period features, it's all mod cons and the latest technology." It's also hard to keep track of those various characters and what they do to enable themselves to stay there.

The story opens when a woman named Vanessa (A.K.A. Nessa) has fallen from a very high battlement and landed in a dry moat. She has been taken to the hospital unconscious and in a coma with multiple serious injuries and on life support. Her twin brother Vance, who was on tour as a female impersonator, has a vision that his sister is in serious medical trouble and hurries back to London to be by her side. He knows that Nessa is afraid of heights and would never have been on that battlement, and when he discovers that the police were never called in, he decides to go undercover as his sister Vanessa with amnesia. That comes in handy because he doesn't know anything about anything and the residents won't be shocked that she doesn't remember anything about them! Can he take her place at the mansion successfully and discover what really happened and whether one of the self-absorbed people living there had attempted to kill Vanessa? To disguise himself, he wears lots of caftans and turbans to hide his bodily maleness and supposed injuries.

He seems to fool everyone except Vanessa's dainty white Angora cat with sapphire eyes named Gloriana. She's not fooled and slowly warms up to Vance until he does something out of character, she becomes miffed at him, and he has to form their truce all over again and again... He's afraid she will give him away. What he does discover is that at times the doors are locked and unlocked electronically when other people come to visit Oversall which makes them prisoners. There is also a ghost monk roaming around mysteriously chanting and creating chaos. Their benefactor doesn't actually appear until much later in the book. He keeps in hiding a lot. Other residents include:

- Dr. Anderson who knows that Vance is undercover and visits periodically to make his rounds on patients at the mansion and secretly gives Vance updates on Vanessa which is usually "no change".
- Mrs. Monica Chandler is the housekeeper, runs the household, and keeps track of everybody.
- Yvonne Beauclerc is a thin blonde woman who was once a singer and entertainer with a cabaret act. She gave up her career to come and live at the mansion. Why?
- Candy Shaeffer is a larger woman with black hair and works in public relations for Oversall.
- Amanda Sloane is another blonde clone. Not sure why she's living there.
- Nina Santana is the resident "artist" who thinks she is an interior decorator. She likes to pull the feathers out of the peacocks for her designs.
- Kiki van Grooten is found dead by Vance and then the body disappears. Did the ghost kill her?
- Ivor is a pudgy younger man with a mustache who claims to know Vanessa intimately. NOT.
- Madame is a mysterious older woman in a wheelchair who would like to talk to Vanessa in private but is prevented numerous times from doing so. Who is she to Oversall?
- Richie is Madame's caretaker. He keeps a close eye on her.
- Shadow is a tall, darkish, saturnine young man who is Oversall's son and bodyguard.
- Bud and his dog Brutus are head of security. They keep a close eye on Vanessa.
- Francesca was Oversall's former secretary who disappeared. What happened to her?

Vanessa/Vance gets a lot of hostile looks and animosity emanates from a lot of the characters. Why? There are twists and turns, red herrings and intrigue as well. The climax takes place up on the same battlement that Vanessa fell from. The cat is my favorite character and the best portrayed including her actions, reactions, and feelings. She also helps Vance by letting him know which residents to like and dislike. Does Vanessa ever recover from her injuries? I will try one of the author's earlier books to see if they read better.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vanessa is very ill, in a coma and her twin brother Vance is determined to discover what happened to her. He disguises himself as a woman (actually he is a drag queen entertainer) and goes to the home where Vanessa was found. He says that he's much better but has complete amnesia about what happened. He meets and successfully passes himself off as Vanessa to all the people in the house; her cat, Gloriana, is much more suspicious. This was a good mystery. The characters are interesting and Vance gets quite caught up in the drama of the household. (Vaness was working for a reclusive billionaire.) There are women hanging about, "kept" by Everett Oversall. There's Everett's son - Shadow. An older woman in a wheelchair, a nasty man who claimed to be Vanessa's lover, guards, doors that can be locked by staff electronically, a murder, and a possible ghost "monk." I liked Vance and his devotion to his sister.

[Layla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only enjoyed scenes with the cat in them. Most of the characters for me weren't likeable. The book I have is called Only The Cat. On the cover the cat has one sapphire eye and one yellow eye. The book describes her having sapphire eyes, so I'm not sure what happened there.
Also for the title to be called Only The Cat, when you read it, you'd imagine it's more about the cat, but it's not really.

[Anna McCormack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only the cat (and the crim!)

Vance takes the place of his ‘identical’ twin sister Vanessa to find out who has tried to kill her, and why. Pseudo-girl meets ‘Goldfinger’ and his entourage in a gothic castle complete with killer dogs, sullen retainers, ghostly monks, secrets galore and a cat. Even allowing for twinship credulity a la Shakespeare, this is a highly entertaining novel as Babson piles on the gothic memes and the plot and kitty litter thicken.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not one of Marion Babson's better books, really only 2.5 *, but it's still a fun read, as long as you don't mind completely suspending your disbelief. As with many of her books, the cat is a big part of the story, though thankfully she is not an author who has psychic cats who talk to their humans.

[Helen Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A woman is severely injured in an accident, but her twin believes it's murder. I can't tell you even one more thing without "spoiling" the biggest - most unlikely - surprise in the book. Even so, I'm being generous by giving this book 3 stars. But it was fun to read and I like cats, so . . .

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seemed to be interesting at the start a little odd, but that’s OK. Love the presence of The Cat, however, how boring and undeveloped the story is and then you get to the end and it’s like huh that’s it? Not really worth the time.

[Janet Reeves · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too silly for words

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like a mystery without much excitement then this book is for you. I found it boring.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

A satisfying mystery with numerous suspects kept me guessing until the last chapter. I had to hurry and finish to know who tried to kill our heroine.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read several books by Ms. Babson, and they have all been easy reads as well as entertaining.

[Samhita Argula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird, random, but surprisingly new

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Somewhat amusing in spots, but not very good character development, story, or mystery. I did like the cat!

[Jerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. cute cozy mystery. maybe was a little to short but overall pretty good

[Steffi · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5/5 - I finally finished it. I love the interactions with the cat, but that was the only thing I loved about it. The wearing of the kaftan and turban was so unnecessary, these traditional clothing hold history and meaning to people so it's extremely insensitive for Vance and Vanessa to use them as props to play 'dress up'.

CW/TW: Confinement, Death, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Kidnapping, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, *Cultural appropriation, Classism, Mention of Hanging, Sexual Harassment

*Cultural Appropriation
"Especially with the full-length kaftans we both loved. I knew she had a full wardrobe of them—I had provided it myself. My early years as an entertainer on the cruise ships plying the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and even more exotic locations had provided great shopping opportunities and I had stocked up with costumes and kaftans for both of us."
Vance I think is supposed to be seen as 'well-traveled' because he has been to countries he deems 'exotic' and bought back with him 'Costumes and Kaftans' as what I would say are 'souvenirs' for him and his sister (Vanessa) to wear as an accessory and not traditional clothing with a lot of history.

"I removed my turban and eased off the bandages that had been stitched together into a sort of
helmet so that I needn’t try to wrap and unwrap the long length of bandage by myself."
While the turban is used as a plot device to disguse Vance, it is a sacred symbol for Sikh people, who often face discrimination for wearing it. For Vance to use this symbol of honor, self-respect, and courage as a tool for deception is extremely disrespectful.

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Only the Cat Knows" by Marian Babson
(from back cover)
Vanessa and her twin brother Vance are very close. So when someone pushes Vanessa down a flight of stairs and puts her into a coma, Vance wants revenge. He decides that masquerading as Vanessa will lead him to the villain. With her clothes, her makeup, and what he knows about his beloved sister, Vance pulls it off very well. Then all his efforts are threatened by the only one he can't fool: Glorianna, Vanessa's gorgeous white Angora cat, knows darn well who is--and who isn't--the mistress she adores.

MY THOUGHTS: As Vance dresses and acts the part of his sister, Vanessa, he is trying to figure out who is responsible for his sisters near death. He encounters Monica, who seems to run the whole household. Kiki and Lana who seem to be friendly but do they have something else in mind. And of course there is Ivor who seems to want a romantic involvement. Bud, who is head of security, and keeps watch over Vanessa/Vance. And of course there is Madame who seems to want to help and have information but keeps it to herself. You also have a mysterious chanting and a ghostly monk roaming around the house. And who is the head of this home/corporation? Mr. Oversall of course. They all have something to contribute to the mystery of Vanessa. But none seem to be talking right now. Even the cat, Glorianna has some things to say about all this. She keeps leading Vanessa/Vance to clues. This is all leading to a dramatic ending of who pushed Vanessa down the stairs and why. This book reminds me of a movie or play on stage. Very good book. But you'll have to read the book to find out!

[Loretta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a mystery in which the fraternal twin of Vanessa (Nessa), who is a female impersonator by trade, decides he is going to find out who tried to kill his sister by impersonating her. Using the ruse that she has suffered amnesia as a result of her injuries, "Vanessa" returns to the fortress-like domain that served not only as her place of work but home. However, Vance/Vanessa discovers that he has to contend with his sisters beautiful if not imperious Angora cat who, of course, could easily blow his cover.
I feel this story line could have been a real hoot but it did not turn out that way in this book. The majority of the reading was Vance/Vanessa sitting around in her quarters, recuperating, and sharing catered meals with Gloriana the Angora cat and then going downstairs in the evenings for very boring dinners with the rest of the staff. The real Vanessa is not even encountered except at the beginning when Vance has rushed to her side in the hospital but she is on life support and in a coma. Not till the very end do we get a glimpse of the real Vanessa as she wakes from her coma. The only real parts I liked was when Vance slapped Dr. Anderson around a few times because of his seemingly reluctance to keep Vance up to date on Vanessa's recovery and then what seems as going back on his word not to blow his cover.

[Rachel Hornung · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not much of a mystery reader, but this one was pretty good. It was light and witty and lacked gruesomeness which I appreciated. The plot seemed far-fetched with a man pretending to be his twin sister while she is incapacitated, but authors can do anything they want, right? The mystery itself was also well concealed, I never suspected the culprit, but maybe I'm just not very good at suspecting seeing as I don't often read mysteries.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting setting and an unusual premise - a twin goes undercover, masquerading as his sister, in order to discover who pushed her off a tower in an attempt to kill her. Yes, the twin is a female impersonator! His attempt to pass himself as off as his sister is aided by the invention of complete memory loss as a result of the fall.Only his sister's cat knows that he is not the she he proclaims to be.

[Gwyn Ryan]

It's not easy pretending to be your own twin sister, but when a murder attempt leaves Vanessa in coma, Vance is determined to go under cover and find out who wants his sister dead. Good thing Vance is the best damn female impersonator in the business. Now if only he can get Nessa's cat to like him . . .

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started reading this & freaked out a little. A lady falls / gets pushed off a wall, so her twin brother - a female impersonator - dresses up like her, pretends to have amnesia & moves into her unit to solve the crime. Also none of the people his sister lives and works with realise he's an imposter ... Awkward.

[Joan Schrock · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Professional female impersonator's identical twin sister is in a comma from a suspicious fall and he takes her place to find out what really happened. This mystery is refreshingly different and has several twists and turns along thr way with a few chuckles added in as he is nearly found out a couple of times. I liked it very much.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would not classify this as a cozy mystery and it didn't come off as a light read, either. The premise of a twin impersonating his sister should have been more interesting than it was. The characters were mostly all unlikeable.